Alan Gonzalez
CYNTHIA HUACCHA
Ricardo Pena
Tecnológico de Monterrey
Consuelo Garcia-de-la-torre
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The project emerged as a response high staff turnover in the hotel sector. This a major problem due to the significantly cost of training the staff. The owner realized that offering family atmosphere in his hotel through the service would be a distinctive asset; the hotel was going to grow not in quantity but in quality. Currently, D’osma Bed and Breakfast is in the 4th position of 354 Bed and Breakfast in Lima and in 12th position in Peru as a result of hard work and this strategy. The lodge received a Green Leader Prize from Tripadvisor from 2011 to date. It also received recognition from the Ministry of Production in 2015 as a “Model of Microbusiness” and the "Certificate of Excellence" awarded by Trip Advisor since 2011 to the date, which is the achievement of businesses that have consistently received glowing traveler reviews on Tripadvisor over the preceding year.
D’osma Bed and Breakfast discovered that they had established many policies for clients, booking, and infrastructure but the human factor needed spirit of service, because they needed to work any day of the year with the same great attitude and in rotating schedules. The staff in D’osma Bed and Breakfast receive benefits that they truly value; they have a career direction, training, and constant feedback of their performance. They realized that anyone can make a mistake in their jobs, but they should neither be punished for that nor separated from the company. The objective is to train them as so that they can work in a bigger hotel chain afterwards. Another important aspect is to know about staff’s families as to be sensitive to issues that need special attention.
In the future the lodge would like to expand in order to increase profits. The development is intended to be managed sustainably.
To speak about opening a lodge is to speak in very general terms, there are many niches within the hotel industry that you can focus on and everything will depend on the type of business you want to have and, above all, on the opportunities in the market.
The project arose, in words of its creator, as the idea to help new employees in the tourism sector to find a place where they can be trained and evaluated as he would have liked to be formed when he was starting his career. The other idea around his head was helping foreign people to find a cozy place to stay with low rates.
D'osma provides decent work for women in a developing nation with a pronounced gender gap, and hires students, allowing them to support their education. It also contributes to charities on a philanthropic basis and has implemented some environmental education and conservation measures.
By creating a positive work environment, D'osma keeps employee turnover down. This positive environment has also led to stellar reviews on Tripadvisor, allowing the D'osma to charge a premium for its services.
D'osma's positive work environment has created an environment that is enjoyable for lodge guests and bolsterd the B&B's ranking in Tripadvisor, allowing it to adjust prices accordingly (nowadays the average price is 65 USD for two people room). D'osma also keeps employee turnover down thanks to its friendly work environment.
SOCIAL
D'osma is providing its all female staff with decent work in a developing nation where sex-based discrimination is rampant. Peru is the eighth country out of 23 in Latin America with the highest rate of femicides. In 2017, there were 121 cases of femicide, and 247 attempts, according to data from the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations.
Employees practice empathy with each other, generating the aforementioned positive work climate, based on tolerance and mutual respect. The work allows employees not only to cover their living expenses, but also their academic studies. Kee intends to contribute to closing the gender gap in our society. D'osma also provides donations to institutions that help children and adults with limited resources and collect new and used clothing for children and the elderly.
ENVIROMENTAL
D'osma encourages three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social and economic. Signs are posted in the lodge alerting guests of the environmental impacts of certain activities. At the lodge we noticed green spaces, and posted water consumption policies, including a certification for water-efficient toilets. They encourage recycling and they encourage to conserve as much paper as possible in their processes. They have recycling have appropriate receptacles to do so. Towels and amenities are changed upon request rather than automatically, which reduces plastic, water use as well as waste.
QUALITY EDUCATION
A headhunter seeks student candidates without prior employment to allow them to get their first work experience. This is important because in Perú, most companies hire only with prior experience, and others have few options. Every month, workers are evaluated by an external company, considering their technical and soft skills, and the score they obtain serves as the grade to validate their internship. D’osma B&B is aware of the dreams and aspirations of its staff. That is the reason why the schedules are flexible respecting the staff’s study hours.
DECENT WORK
D'osma strives for a fair recruiting process. They count on staff who feel passion for what they do and they encourage personal and professional development. As we know empathy is not taught, but it is a skill required to work in the B&B. Empathy allows the employees to support and empower each other, and lets management support and empower employees, and encourage punctuality and responsibility. The employment contracts are for 6 months, as opposed to a year. If it suits workers to stay longer, the are welcome to renew the contract. All must be treated as persons not just employees.
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The hotel industry in Peru has a promising future with the growth of receptive tourism and the strengthening of domestic tourism that guarantee the profitability of the hotel business in the coming years. D’osma Bed and Breakfast is a small three-star lodging with 5 rooms, situated in Barranco, a bohemian area of Lima. The target market is tourists coming from the USA and Europe who are looking for a place to stay and feel like home. The lodge offers guidance before and during the trip, tours, bike rentals, and airport and hotel transfers for the 40 tourists per month that they host.
The business idea was thought of in 2001, but the business was established in 2010. The value proposition is to offer an experience different from that of a regular lodge, focusing on quality service using sustainable strategies that have arisen through the experiences values of the company: “sustainability”, “excellence” and “family.”
